Method and system for detecting location of a fixed wireless asset in a hospital environment

ABSTRACT

A system is disclosed for determining the location of fixed wireless assets (FWAs). The system includes at least one FWA having an asset tracking number, at least one mobile device wirelessly coupled to the FWA via a first communication link, and a database having information that associates people with locations. The mobile device is assigned to one of these people. The system also includes a computer that is coupled to the FWA via a second communication link and to the database. The FWA is configured to forward the data received from the mobile device to the computer along with the FWA&#39;s asset tracking number. The computer is configured to determine the location of the FWA based at least in part on the data received from the FWA and the information retrieved from the database.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure is related to the field of medical deviceinventory and tracking. Specifically, the present disclosure relates toarrangements and methods for detecting location of a fixed wirelessasset in a hospital environment.

2. Description of the Related Art

The last few years have seen explosive growth in the use of wirelesscommunication in homes and businesses. This includes hospitals where itis increasingly advantageous to link diagnostic equipment and dataaccess devices, such laptops, tablets, and personal data assistants(PDAs), to central data systems. In order to provide wirelessconnectivity, many hospitals are deploying wireless networking systemsthat cover most if not all areas where care is provided. A typicalwireless network will have one or more wireless access devices that areconnected to the network with physical cables. A hospital installationmay have a number of wireless access devices positioned around thefacility, each wireless access device covering an area that isdetermined in part by the layout and construction of the building aroundthe wireless access device.

Hospitals are also coming under increased pressure to contain costs. Oneeffect of this pressure is a need to maintain a current inventory ofassets, such as the wireless access devices that are a part of thehospital infrastructure, as well as knowledge of the location of theassets.

SUMMARY

Locating the various components of a computer network can be a challengefor the network administrators as it may be possible to communicate witha component over the network without having any knowledge of thephysical location of the device. This is particularly important forwireless access devices as their physical location determines thecoverage provided within the building, and dead spots are a commonproblem. It is not uncommon for a wireless access device to be moved,for example to cover a former dead spot, without the new location beingnoted in the system records. With the deployment of mobile devices, forexample a monitoring device worn by a patient, where it is desirable totrack the location of the mobile device and the patient within ahospital, knowledge of the physical location of wireless access deviceshas become even more important. Manually tracking or, in some cases,searching for a wireless access device is difficult and time-consuming.It is desirable to be able to automatically determine the location ofwireless access devices in a hospital environment.

Wireless access devices are referred to using a variety of terms such as“ports,” “access points,” and “gateways.” Wireless communication devicesmay have a variety of functions related to the routing, buffering, andprocessing of communication signals and may be referred to as “bridges,”“hubs,” “routers,” or “switches.” For the purpose of the presentdisclosure, the term “fixed wireless asset” (FWA) is used to refer toany wireless communication device that is attached to a communicationnetwork, recognizing that a FWA may be relocated or is attached to apiece of equipment that may be periodically relocated such that thephysical location of the FWA is not necessarily permanently fixed, butis usually stationary at a given physical location.

The present disclosure includes systems and methods adapted to determinethe location of FWAs within a hospital using patient locationinformation routinely gathered in a healthcare environment. In certainconfigurations, a patient is associated with an FWA and the FWA isdetermined to be near the location of the patient, based on the patientlocation information from a hospital Admission-Discharge-Transfer (ADT)database.

Certain embodiments of a system are disclosed that comprises at leastone fixed wireless asset (FWA) having an asset tracking number, and atleast one mobile device wirelessly coupled to the at least one FWA via afirst communication link. The at least one mobile device is assigned toa person and configured to provide data to the at least one FWA. Thesystem also includes a database comprising information associating theperson with a location, and a computer coupled to the at least one FWAvia a second communication link and to the database. The at least oneFWA is configured to forward to the computer the data received from theat least one mobile device along with the FWA's asset tracking number.The computer is configured to receive the data and asset tracking numberfrom the at least one FWA and retrieve the information from thedatabase. The computer is further configured to determine the locationof the at least one FWA based at least in part on the data received fromthe at least one FWA and the information retrieved from the database.

In certain embodiments, a system for locating a FWA within a hospital isprovided. The system comprises a plurality of FWAs having respectiveasset tracking numbers, a database comprising associations of aplurality of patients having patient IDs with respective identifiedrooms in the hospital, and at least one personal care device (PCD)configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one FWA. The PCD hasbeen assigned to one of the patients. The PCD is configured to provideto the FWA at least the patient ID of the patient to whom the PCD isassigned. The system also includes a computer that is coupled to theplurality of FWAs and to the database via a communication network. TheFWAs are configured to provide at least the data received from the PCDalong with the asset tracking number of the FWA providing the data. Thecomputer is configured to receive from the FWA the data and assettracking number and retrieve from the database at least the patient roomassociation for the patient identified in the data received from thePCD. The computer is further configured to determine the location of atleast one of the FWAs based on the patient ID received from the PCD, theasset tracking number of the FWA, and the patient room associationretrieved from the database.

In certain embodiments, a method of determining a location of a FWA in ahospital environment is disclosed. The method includes the step ofreceiving, by a computer, at least one message from the FWA thatcomprises a patient ID and an identification of a PCD that is pairedwith the patient. The method also includes the step of receiving, by thecomputer, patient-room information comprising the patient IDs of aplurality of patients admitted to the hospital and identification of thehospital rooms that are assigned to the patients. The method alsoincludes the step of determining, by the computer, the location of theFWA based on the at least one received message and the patient-roominformation.

In certain embodiments, a computer-readable medium havingcomputer-executable instructions stored thereon for execution by aprocessor to perform a method of determining a location of a FWA in ahospital environment is disclosed. The method includes the steps ofreceiving at least one message from the FWA that comprises a patient IDand an identification of a PCD that is paired with the patient,receiving patient-room information comprising the patient IDs of aplurality of patients admitted to the hospital and identification of thehospital rooms that are assigned to the patients, and determining thelocation of the FWA based on the at least one received message and thepatient-room information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide furtherunderstanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of thisspecification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and together with thedescription serve to explain the principles of the disclosedembodiments. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an example floor plan for a hospital care area.

FIG. 2 illustrates a wirelessly equipped mobile medical treatmentdevice.

FIG. 3 depicts an embodiment of a wireless medical monitor being worn bya patient.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram representation of a patient care systemaccording to certain aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual block diagram of a computer according to certainaspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of detecting thelocation of a fixed wireless asset in accordance with certain aspects ofthis disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a timeline illustrating exemplary messages exchanged amongvarious elements of the patient care system 100 according to certainaspects of this disclosure.

FIGS. 8A-8D are plots of signal strength and time of receipt accordingto certain aspects of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description discloses embodiments of systems and methodsfor determining the location of FWAs in a hospital or healthcarefacility. In certain embodiments, the system includes a mobile apparatusthat communicates wirelessly with the FWA as well as with a databasethat contains information about the association of patients with FWAsand the location of patients in the hospital.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth to provide a full understanding of the present disclosure. It willbe apparent, however, to one ordinarily skilled in the art thatembodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some ofthe specific details. In other instances, well-known structures andtechniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure thedisclosure. The systems and methods disclosed herein are discussed inthe context of a hospital that admits patients for treatment. Nothingherein should be interpreted to limit the coverage of the claims to ahealthcare environment or to medical treatment unless specificallystated as such.

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofvarious configurations of the subject technology and is not intended torepresent the only configurations in which the subject technology may bepracticed. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitutea part of the detailed description. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof the subject technology. However, it will be apparent to those skilledin the art that the subject technology may be practiced without thesespecific details. In some instances, well-known structures andcomponents arc shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuringthe concepts of the subject technology. Like components are labeled withidentical element numbers for ease of understanding.

FIG. 1 is a simplified example floor plan 10 for a hospital care area.In this example, numerous patient rooms 12 are located along corridors13. Patient care rooms 14 are provided in the central area to allow forprocedures that may require equipment (not shown) that is not providedin the patient rooms 12. A patient lounge 16 is located at one end ofhallway 13 for patients to visit with their families or for patients torelax outside their rooms 12. Elevators 19 are located at one end of acorridor 13 that is separated from the care area by doors 18.

Providing wireless coverage for the example floor plan 10 may requiremultiple FWAs, depending on the power and function of the FWAs. Incertain systems, it is desirable to have each FWA cover a very limitedarea, such as a single patient room 12, so that the physical location ofa mobile device, such as an intravenous (IV) pump, may be determined tobe within a certain area using the knowledge of which FWA is incommunication with the mobile device and the physical location of theFWA. In such a system, each patient room 12 may have a FWA that isassociated, in a database, with that particular patient room 12. When apatient is admitted to the hospital and assigned to a room, ordischarged from the hospital, or moved from one room to another withinthe hospital, this information is stored in the hospital's ADT system.Some patient rooms 12 are configured to be occupied by a single patientwhile other patient rooms 12 may be configured to be shared by two ormore patients.

Other FWAs may be located in public areas such as the patient lounge 16or above the entrance doors 18. It may be possible to determine that awirelessly equipped mobile device is in the lounge 16 or passing throughthe entrance doors 18 based on a wireless connection being establishedbetween the mobile device and the FWA in that location.

FIG. 2 illustrates a wirelessly equipped mobile medical treatmentdevice. In this example, the device is an IV system 20 that includes, inthis embodiment, a control unit 22, a pumping unit 24, and a monitoringunit 26, such as a saturation of peripheral oxygen (SpO₂) monitormodule. The control unit 22, in this example, is equipped with awireless communication capability so that, for example, readings fromthe SpO₂ module can be uploaded regularly to a central database. In use,a caregiver 32 will associate, or “pair”, the IV system 20 with apatient 30 using any of the commonly known methods of identifying thepatient 30 and IV system 20, e.g. scanning a barcode attached on awristband of the patient 30 or attached to the IV system 20, anduploading this to a hospital data system (not shown in FIG. 2) so thatuploaded data can be stored in the records associated with the properpatient 30. In certain embodiments, identification of the patient isprovided by other methods, such as manual data entry, selection of apatient's name from a pre-entered list, and scanning of a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag worn by the patient. Thisassociation of the IV system 20 with the patient 30 is recorded in thehospital data system.

FIG. 3 depicts an embodiment of a wireless medical monitor 28 being wornby a patient 30. This monitor 28 is attached to the skin of the patient30 in a manner similar to a large adhesive bandage. The monitor 28 isequipped with wireless communication capability so that a physiologicalattribute, for example pulse, is monitored regularly while the patient30 moves about the hospital. The monitor 28 is associated with thepatient 30 at the time that the monitor 28 is initially attached to thepatient such that the uploaded monitoring data can be stored in therecords associated with the proper patient 30. This association of themonitor 28 with the patient 30 is also recorded in a hospital datasystem. Other examples of monitors 28 can be used with embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram representation of a patient care system 100,in accordance with certain configurations disclosed in the presentdisclosure. A computer 102 is communicatively coupled via a hospitalnetwork 106 with one or more FWAs 104A, 104B located in a respectivehospital area (e.g., a patient room) 116A, 116B. An ADT database 108 isalso communicatively connected to the computer 102 via the hospitalnetwork 106. Each FWA 104A, 104B is also communicatively coupled withone or more patient care devices (PCDs) 110A, 110B, 110C via a wirelesscommunication link 112A, 112B, 112C. Each PCD 110A, 110B, 110C isrespectively associated with a patient 30A, 30B, 30C. When the FWAs104A, 104B are configured such that their range of wirelesscommunication is limited to the respective room 116A, 116B, then it canbe inferred that, for example, patient 30B is currently in the same roomas FWA 104B when the PCD 110B that is associated with patient 30B is incommunication with FWA 104B. In certain embodiments, FWA 104A is removedand the range of FWA 104B extended to cover room 116A with somereduction in the precision of the knowledge of the location of thedetected PCDs.

Still referring to FIG. 4, while the computer 102 and the database 108are depicted as two different blocks, it is understood that thesedevices can be implemented on the same hardware/software platform or canbe implemented on multiple hardware/software platforms. The computer 102is, for example, may be located at a central information technology (IT)facility in a hospital or at a nurse's work area. Similarly, thedatabase 108 may be located at a central facility or at a businessoffice in a hospital. The communication network and links 106 and 112may be implemented using any of several well-known communicationtechnologies. In certain configurations, proprietary communicationtechnologies may also be used. For example, in certain configurations,the hospital network 106 is an Ethernet network and the communicationlink 112 uses an 802.11 wireless channel and protocol. In certainconfigurations, the communication link 112 uses a proprietarycommunication technology. The hospital network 106 is a wireless or awired network, in different embodiments, or some combination of wiredand wireless networks.

The present disclosure anticipates that the FWA 104 is not stationarythroughout the duration of use. For example, a caregiver may move theFWA 104 during or between patient care sessions. In certainconfigurations, the FWA 104 is a battery-operated device, making itrelatively simple for a caregiver to transport the FWA 104 to anotherplace. In certain configurations, the FWA 104 is connected to thehospital network 106 with a plug-in cable that connects to a wall port,making it an easy task to unplug the FWA 104 and reconnect the FWA 104to the network 106 using a different wall port.

FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified conceptual block diagram of the computer102 in accordance with certain aspects disclosed in the presentdisclosure. The computer 102 comprises a statistical analysis module202, a patient registration information module 204, a patient locationdecision module 206, a pairing message reception module 208, a patientassociation formation module 210, a graphical user interface (GUI)module 212 that may include a display (not shown) and one or more dataentry devices (not shown) such as a keyboard and a mouse, a firstreceiver module 214, a second receiver module 216, a memory 220, and aprocessor 222. The computer 102 is communicatively coupled with thehospital network 106 via a network interface 218. The modules can beimplemented in hardware in certain embodiments. The statistical analysismodule 202 is configured to determine what conclusions can be made aboutthe location of a FWA based on messages received from a PCD 110. Thepatient registration information module 204 handles exchanges ofinformation with the database 108 as described in greater detail withrespect to FIG. 7. The patient location decision module 206 isconfigured to determine the location of the patient based on informationretrieved by the patient registration information module 204. Thepairing message reception module 208 is configured to associate the PCD110 with a patient 30 based on information received from the PCD 110and, in certain embodiments, other sources such as the GUI module 212.The first receiver module 214 is configured, in this example, tocommunicate over a wireless link to the PCD 110. The second receivermodule 216, in this example, is configured to communicate through thenetwork interface 218 over a hardwired link to the network 106 andtherethrough to other devices such as the database 108.

In certain embodiments, the modules can be implemented in software, or acombination of hardware and software.

In certain embodiments of the computer 102, the memory 220 comprises anonvolatile machine-readable storage medium, such as a magnetic harddisk. In certain embodiments, the memory 220 comprises a removablenonvolatile machine-readable storage medium such as an optical disk suchas a Compact Disk (CD) or Digital Video Disk (DVD), or a nonvolatilestorage device such as a flash drive or a magnetic storage device (e.g.a magnetic disk). In certain embodiments, the memory 220 comprises avolatile memory such as a magnetic Random Access Memory (RAM) that isconfigured to be used for storing temporary data or other intermediateinformation during execution of instructions by processor 222. Incertain embodiments, the processor 222 comprises start-up instructionsthat instruct the processor to retrieve further instructions from thememory 220 upon start-up.

FIG. 6 is flow chart illustrating an example of an operation ofdetecting a location of a given FWA 104. At operation 230, the firstreceiver module 214 receives at least one message from the FWA 104 thatcomprises a patient ID and an identification of a PCD 110 that is pairedwith the patient 30. At operation 232, the second receiver module 214receives patient-room information comprising the patient IDs of aplurality of patients 30 admitted to the hospital and identification ofthe hospital rooms 12 that are assigned to the patients 30 and passesthis information to at least one of the patient registration informationmodule 204 and patient location decision module 206. At operation 234,the statistical analysis module 202 determines the location of the FWA104 based on the at least one received message and the patient-roominformation. These operations are described in greater detail withrespect to FIGS. 8A-8D.

FIG. 7 is a timeline illustrating exemplary messages exchanged amongvarious elements of the patient care system 100 according to certainaspects of this disclosure. The elements of FIG. 7 are those shown inFIG. 4. At time T1, prior to using the PCD 110A, for example an IV pump20 as illustrated in FIG. 2, to perform a patient care task for aspecific patient 30A, a caregiver 32 pairs the PCD 110A with the patient30A. i.e. assigned the PCD 110A to patient 30A. In the example of FIG.7, the caregiver 32 performs the pairing operation by entering a patientIDentifier (ID) into the patient care device 110, e.g. by scanning abarcode that is printed on a wristband worn by patient 30A using abarcode scanner module of the PCD 110A. In certain embodiments, thecaregiver 32 enters the patient identification information manually intothe PCD 110A. In the example of FIG. 7, PCD 110A is in communicationwith FWA 104A, which is located in the room assigned to patient 30A. ThePCD 110A sends a pairing message 302A to the FWA 104A which, in thisexample, modifies the message to add an asset tracking identifierassigned to FWA 104A, and sends a pairing message 302B on to thecomputer 102 through the network 106. In certain embodiments, thecaregiver 32 enters the patient identification information and theidentification of the PCD 110A into a data entry device (not shown) thatsends the information to the computer 102.

In the example of FIG. 7, the pairing messages 302A, 302B comprise: (1)an identity of the PCD 110A, e.g. an asset tracking identifier assignedto the PCD 110A, (2) a patient ID, e.g., an alphanumeric identifierassigned to the patient 30A during admission, and (3) a date-time stampindicating when the pairing occurred.

Upon receipt of pairing message 302, the computer sends a patient IDmessage 304A to the database 108 requesting the currently assigned roomfor patient 30A. In this example, the patient ID message 304A contains(1) the patient ID received in the pairing message 302, and (2) thedate-time stamp from the pairing message 302. The ADT 108 retrieves theroom number that was assigned to patient 30A at the date and timeindicated in patient ID message 304A. The ADT 108 sends an ADT message306A to the computer 102 with the assigned room. In certain embodiments,the ADT message 306A includes other information such as the patient ID,the date-time stamp, and other data that enables the computer 102 toassociate this ADT message 306 with the particular FWA 104A. Thecomputer 102 then generates a data record, shown as record #1 in theexample of FIG. 7, that records at least the date & time, the assettracking identifier assigned to FWA 104A, and the room number assignedto patient 30A. In certain embodiments, the record contains the patientID for patient 30A.

As the PCD 110A operates while the patient 30A is in the hospital, thePCD 110A establishes contact with the nearest FWA as the patient 30Amoves about the hospital. At the same time, PCD 110A is, in the exampleof FIG. 7, accumulating data related to the patient 30A. The PCD 110Aperiodically sends data messages, shown as a Local Area Network (LAN)messages in FIG. 7, related to the accumulated patient data to the FWAwith which the PCD 110A is currently in communication. In FIG. 7, attime T2, PCD 110A is in communication with FWA 104A and the PCD 110Asends a LAN message 308A to FWA 104A. FWA 104A adds asset trackingidentifier assigned to FWA 104A and sends a LAN message 310A to thecomputer 102. The computer 102 sends a patient ID message 304B, which isidentical in content to patient ID message 304A in this example, to thedatabase 108. The ADT database 108 returns an ADT message 306B, which isidentical in content to ADT message 306A in this example, to thecomputer 102. The computer 102 generates a record, shown as record #2 inFIG. 7, that includes the date & time, the asset tracking identifierassigned to FWA 104A, and the room number assigned to patient 30A.

In the example of FIG. 7, at time T3 the patient 30A is in a differentroom in the hospital, for example the lounge 16 of FIG. 1, and PCD 110Ais in communication with a different FWA 104B. The PCD 110A sends a LANmessage 308B to the FWA 104B, which adds its own asset trackingidentifier to the message and forwards it as LAN message 310B to thecomputer 102. As before, the computer 102 sends a patient ID message304C to the ADT server, which returns an ADT message 306C. The computer102 creates record #3 that, because the LAN message came through FWA104B, contains the asset tracking identifier of FWA 104B.

At time T4, patient 30A has returned to his room and therefore the PCD110A is again in communication with FWA 104A. As before, PCD 110A sendsa LAN message 308C to FWA 104A, which adds its asset tracking identifierto the message and forwards it as LAN message 310C to computer 102. Thecomputer 102 again exchanges messages 304D, 306D with the ADT sever 108and creates record #4 that contains the asset tracking identifier of FWA104A.

It is understood that the operation of “bridging” or “forwarding”performed by a FWA can be performed at any layer of the network protocolstack, as is well understood in the field of computer communication. Forexample, in certain configurations, the FWA 104 receives a patientdata-monitoring message encapsulated in an internet protocol (IP) packetfrom the patient care device 110 over an 802.11 communication link andforwards the received IP packet over an Ethernet link to the computer102. In certain configurations, the FWA 104 changes the header portionof the received IP packet.

As previously described with respect to FIG. 5, the first receivermodule 214 of the computer 102 is configured to receive the LAN messages310 (as an example of LAN messages 310A, 310B, and 310C of FIG. 7 andother similar messages) and perform a determination of the location ofthe FWA 104A. The patient association formation module 210 of thecomputer 102 is able to make an association between a patient 30 and thereceived LAN message 310 based on the identification of the patient 30and/or the PCD 110 conveyed in the received LAN message 310. In certainconfigurations, a LAN message 310 directly, or explicitly, includes anidentity of the PCD 110A that sent the message and an identity of thepatient 30A within the bits conveyed by the LAN message 310 itself. Incertain configurations, the computer 102 receives a LAN message 310 thatincludes an identity of the PCD 110A that sent the message, but does notexplicitly include an identity of the patient 30A. However, the computer102 identifies the patient 30A associated with the LAN message 310 usinga previously received pairing message 302B pairing the PCD 110A and thepatient 30A. If the received LAN message 310 does not explicitly ordirectly include any identification of the PCD 110 or the patient 30,the patient association formation module 210 may still able to determinethe identities using certain information in the LAN message 310, such asan IP header or a source ID of the PCD 110.

The analysis performed by computer 102 to determine the location of aFWA 104 includes analyzing one or more of timing attributes, patientinformation attributes and transmission attributes of the received LANmessages 310. In certain configurations, the accuracy of the estimatedlocation of an FWA 104 is improved by comparing multiple LAN messages310. In certain embodiments, the analysis is performed over all messagesreceived within a predetermined time window. The time window is, forexample, a contiguous period (e.g., 1 to 7 days) prior to determinationof the location of the FWA 104. Alternatively, the time window maycomprises multiple non-contiguous portions. In certain configurations,only LAN messages 310 received between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am, whenpatients 30 are typically asleep in their rooms, are considered. Incertain configurations, the time window excludes visiting hours or lunchhours, during which time patients 30 may be mobile within the hospital.

As an example, in one configuration only LAN messages 310 receivedbetween the hours of 10 pm and 6 am within the last 5 days and onlysince the PCD 110A was associated with patient 30A are considered. Thecomputer 102 retrieves all of the records received within the last 5days. The computer discards all records that include the patient ID ofpatients not patient 30A, outside the designed time period, and prior tothe date and time of the pairing message 302. In certain embodiments,the computer 102 counts the number of instances wherein the room numberis the same and determines that FWA 104 is located in the room with thehighest count. In certain embodiments, the computer 102 looks at thetime sequence of room numbers and determines the room number of the lastcontinuous string of instances. In certain embodiments, the computer 102evaluates only a determined number of the most recent records.

As a second example, all LAN messages 310 received within a period oftime from PCD 110A are considered regardless of which patient wasassociated with the PCD 110A during that time. Utilization of recordsfrom previous patients may increase the statistical accuracy if multiplepatients are shown to be mapped to the same location.

In certain embodiments, the FWA is known to cover portions of multiplesrooms, i.e. 30% of the area of a first room, 25% of a second adjacentroom, and 35% of a third room as well as some portion of the hallwaysaround these rooms. In this circumstance, the FWA reports only that adevice is in the area around of the three rooms and does not specify aspecific room.

In certain embodiments, the FWA 110 determines other attributes of thereceived LAN messages 308, such as a signal strength of the received LANmessage 308 or a round-trip-time of the message received from a PCD 110at the FWA 104 whose location is being determined. These capabilitiesare discussed in greater detail with respect to FIGS. 8A-8D.

FIGS. 8A-8D are plots of signal strength and time of receipt formessages received from a PCD 110 by a FWA 104 according to certainaspects of this disclosure. It should be noted that the scenarios forthese plots are not limiting but merely examples discussed to highlightcertain aspects of the analysis performed by the statistical analysismodule 202. In the plots of FIGS. 8A-8D, time linearly increase alongthe horizontal axis and the vertical axis represents a received signalstrength at the FWA 104 of LAN messages 308 from one or more PCDs 110.Each LAN message 306 corresponds to a respective LAN message 308received at the computer, as shown in FIG. 7. LAN messages 308 receivedwith the time window 400 are used in the analysis described herein. Inthese examples, signals are received from PCDs associated with patients30A and 30B who are in different locations, i.e. not in the same room.

FIG. 8A depicts an example wherein the computer 102 receives a pairingmessage 302 before the time window 400. The computer 102 receives LANmessages 310 corresponding to LAN messages 308 that received within timewindow 400 by a FWA 104A from a PCD 110A associated with patient 30A,and therefore designated as “A” messages. In certain configurations, thestatistical analysis module 102 draws the conclusion that the FWA 104Ais located in proximity of where the corresponding patient 30A islocated. As previously discussed, the location of the patient 30A isobtained from the patient location decision module 206.

FIG. 8B illustrates another example where a first group 410 comprisesreceived LAN messages 308 corresponding to patient 30A, followed by asecond group 420 comprising received LAN messages 308 corresponding topatient 30B. Further, as depicted, the average received signal strengthcorresponding to the group 420 is greater than that of the group 410. Incertain configurations, a “most frequently received” criterion is usedand because a greater number of LAN messages 308 are received in thefirst group 410, the FWA 104 is determined to be in the vicinity ofpatient 30A. In certain other configurations, a “most recently received”criterion is used, whereby the FWA 104 is decided to be in the vicinityof patient 30B because the second group 420 was more recently receivedthan the first group 410.

Still referring to FIG. 8B, in certain configurations, a weightedaverage is used to make a determination that the FWA 104 is “in theproximity of patient 30A and patient 30B.” In certain configurations,the weighting is based on, for example, the numbers of received LANmessages 308 in the first and the second groups 410 and 420. In certainconfigurations, the weighting is based on a time elapsed since the lastLAN message 308 was received corresponding to a patient 30. In certainconfigurations, the weighting is based on the ADT information related topatients 30A and 30B. For example, for the scenario depicted in FIG. 8B,if ADT information indicates that patient 30A was discharged after thelast message in the group 410 is received, and patient B was admitted tothe same hospital room, then LAN messages 308 received for patient 30Aare given equal weight as those for patient 30B.

FIG. 8C depicts a scenario similar to the scenario depicted in FIG. 8B,except that an ADT event 425 indicates that patient 30A was transferredto another location within the hospital, e.g. from a recovery unit to along-term-care unit, occurs during the time window 400. In certainconfigurations, because patient 30A was transferred away from the FWA104A, the LAN messages 30 of group 410 are given zero weight.

FIG. 8D depicts a scenario in which the computer 102 receives LANmessages 310 corresponding to both patients 30A and 30B over theduration of time window 400. As depicted in FIG. 4D, the LAN messages308 corresponding to patients 30A and 30B have different signalstrengths and are received at different times. In certain embodiments,when a mix of LAN messages 308 corresponding to multiple patients isreceived by a single FWA 104, the statistical analysis module 202performs additional steps to calculate on a measure of the receivedsignal strength at the FWA 104. For example, a query is made by thecomputer 102 to the FWA 104 to report the received signal strengths forthe LAN messages 308 received from the PCDs 110A and 110B respectivelyassociated with patients 30A and 30B. In certain configurations, thestatistical analysis module 202 determines that the FWA 104 is near thepatient corresponding to the highest received signal strength. Incertain configurations, the statistical analysis module 202 ignores LANmessages 308 with a received signal strength below a pre-determinedthreshold.

Still referring to FIG. 8D, in certain configurations, the FWA 104 iscapable of performing a round-trip delay estimation for the wirelesscommunication links 112 between the FWA 104A and the PCDs 110A and 110Bthat are communicating with the FWA 104A, thereby estimating thedistance of the PCDs 30A, 30B from the FWA 104A. In certainconfigurations, when the received LAN messages 308 include a mix of LANmessages 308 corresponding to multiple patients, the computer 102inquires the round-trip delay information from the FWA 104. In certainconfigurations, the statistical analysis module 202 ignores LAN messages308 with a round-trip delay that is longer than a pre-determinedthreshold i.e. farther from the FWA 110A that a predetermined distance.

In certain configurations, the statistical analysis module 202communicates with the GUI module 212 and presents results of analysis toa user. The GUI module 212 is configured to allow a user to set certainrules of analysis. For example, the GUI could present a set ofinformation of which PCD communicating with which FWA with less than aspecified time delay, i.e. within a certain distance of that FWA, whichmay assist in locating an active PCD. In certain configurations, the GUImodule 212 allows a user to set one or more of (1) a value of the timewindow 400 (e.g., 2 days or 12 hours, etc.), (2) a weighting option(e.g., equal weights or assigning higher weight to the most recent LANmessages 308, and so on), (3) a signal level threshold, the receivedmessages below which are ignored, (4) whether to use round-trip delayvalues in determining a location of the FWA 104, (5) types of ADTmessages (e.g., transfer information) to consider when weighting thereceived LAN messages, and so on.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to anynon-volatile medium that participates in providing instructions to aprocessor for execution. Common forms of computer-readable mediainclude, for example, a magnetic floppy disk, a magnetic or optical harddisk, magnetic tape, a Compact Disk (CD), a Digital Video Disk (DVD), aProgrammable Read-Only Memory (PROM), an Erasable Programmable Read-OnlyMemory (EPROM), and a flash memory device.

It will be appreciated that the methods and systems presented hereinprovide solutions for tracking locations of wireless devices used inmany environments, particularly in patient care systems in healthcarefacilities. Healthcare facilities often do not have the resources or theexpertise to continually track the deployed devices throughout thehealthcare facility. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that manydevices are relatively portable and during use, these devices are simplyhand-carried by a healthcare professional and placed at a suitablelocation in a healthcare facility. Healthcare professionals are oftenpre-occupied with other important patient care tasks and may notimmediately update a database at the healthcare facility with the newlocation of the fixed wireless asset. The methods and systems disclosedherein enable tracking of fixed wireless assets using patient locationinformation, which is routinely gathered by healthcare systems as a partof patient care.

Those of skill in the art would appreciate that the various illustrativeblocks, modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms describedherein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. Furthermore, these may be partitioned differentlythan what is described. To illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative sections, blocks, modules,elements, components, methods, and algorithms have been described abovegenerally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality isimplemented as hardware or software depends upon the particularapplication and design constraints imposed on the overall system.Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varyingways for each particular application.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps or blocksin the processes disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches.Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific orderor hierarchy of steps or blocks in the processes may be rearranged. Theaccompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in asample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order orhierarchy presented.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language claims.

Reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one andonly one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.”Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one ormore.

Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neutergender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. All structural and functionalequivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughoutthis disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those ofordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by referenceand are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothingdisclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless ofwhether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claimelement is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixthparagraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase“means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recitedusing the phrase “operation for.”

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described andillustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same isby way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way oflimitation, the scope of the present invention being limited only by theterms of the appended claims.

1. A system comprising: at least one fixed wireless asset (FWA) havingan asset tracking number; at least one mobile device wirelessly coupledto the at least one FWA, the at least one mobile device assigned to aperson and configured to provide data to the at least one FWA; adatabase comprising information associating the person with a location;and a computer coupled to the at least one FWA and to the database;wherein the at least one FWA is configured to forward to the computer atleast a portion of the data received from the at least one mobile devicealong with the FWA's asset tracking number; wherein the computer isconfigured to receive the data and asset tracking number from the atleast one FWA and retrieve the information from the database; whereinthe computer is further configured to determine the location of the atleast one FWA based at least in part on the data received from the atleast one FWA and the information retrieved from the database.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the patient registration informationcomprises: a patient identifier (ID) associated with a person; andidentification of a location associated with the patient.
 3. The systemof claim 2, wherein: the person is a patient that has been admitted to ahospital; the patient ID is assigned to the patient upon admission; thelocation is a room in the hospital that is assigned to the patient; theat least one mobile device is assigned to the patient; and theassociation of the at least one mobile device with the patient ID isprovided to the computer.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein: the atleast one mobile device is configured to accept the patient ID; the atleast one mobile device is assigned an asset tracking identifier; andthe data provided by the at least one mobile device comprises thepatient ID and the asset tracking number of the respective mobiledevice.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer is configured todetermine that the at least one FWA is located proximate to the roomthat is assigned to the patient when the mobile device provides datarelated to the patient at least one time to the FWA.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the computer is configured to determine the location ofthe at least one FWA based on data received by the FWA within at leastone determined time period.
 7. A system for locating a FWA within ahospital, the system comprising: a plurality of FWAs having respectiveasset tracking numbers; a database comprising associations of aplurality of patients having patient IDs with respective identifiedrooms in the hospital; at least one personal care device (PCD)configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one FWA, the PCDhaving been assigned to one of the patients, the PCD configured toprovide to the FWA at least the patient ID of the patient to whom thePCD is assigned; a computer coupled to the plurality of FWAs and to thedatabase via a communication network, wherein the FWAs are configured toprovide at least the data received from the PCD along with the assettracking number of the FWA providing the data, the computer configuredto receive from the FWA the data and asset tracking number and retrievefrom the database at least the patient-room association for the patientidentified in the data received from the PCD; wherein the computer isfurther configured to determine the location of at least one of the FWAsbased on the patient ID received from the PCD, the asset tracking numberof the FWA, and the patient-room association retrieved from thedatabase.
 8. A method of determining a location of a FWA in a hospitalenvironment, comprising the steps of: receiving, by a computer, at leastone message from the FWA that comprises a patient ID and anidentification of a PCD that is paired with the patient; receiving, bythe computer, patient-room information comprising the patient IDs of aplurality of patients admitted to the hospital and identification of thehospital rooms that are assigned to the patients; and determining, bythe computer, the location of the FWA based on the at least one receivedmessage and the patient-room information.
 9. The method of claim 8,further comprising the steps of: receiving at the PCD the patient ID;and providing a pairing message to the computer, the pairing messagecomprising the patient ID and the identification of the PCD.
 10. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the step of receiving the patient-roominformation comprises the steps of: sending a message to aAdmission-Discharge-Transfer (ADT) system, the message comprising thepatient ID; and receiving from the ADT system a message comprising theidentification of the hospital room that is assigned to the patienthaving the patient ID of the message sent to the ADT system.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the step of determining the location of theFWA comprises determining a most-often-reported patient ID for the FWA.12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of determining the locationof the FWA comprises evaluating only messages received from the PCDduring a determined time period.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein thetime period is limited to the time during which patients are typicallyin their respective assigned rooms.
 14. The method of claim 13, whereinthe time period is at least a portion of the time between the hours of10 pm and 6 am.
 15. A computer-readable medium havingcomputer-executable instructions stored thereon for execution by aprocessor to perform a method of determining a location of a FWA in ahospital environment, the method including the steps of: receiving atleast one message from the FWA that comprises a patient ID and anidentification of a PCD that is paired with the patient; receivingpatient-room information comprising the patient IDs of a plurality ofpatients admitted to the hospital and identification of the hospitalrooms that are assigned to the patients; and determining the location ofthe FWA based on the at least one received message and the patient-roominformation.
 16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein thestep of receiving the patient-room information comprises the steps of:sending a message to a Admission-Discharge-Transfer (ADT) system, themessage comprising the patient ID; and receiving from the ADT system amessage comprising the identification of the hospital room that isassigned to the patient having the patient ID of the message sent to theADT system.
 17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein thestep of determining the location of the FWA comprises determining amost-often-reported patient ID for the FWA.
 18. The computer-readablemedium of claim 15, wherein the step of determining the location of theFWA comprises evaluating only messages received from the PCD during adetermined time period.
 19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18,wherein the time period is limited to the time during which patients aretypically in their respective assigned rooms.
 20. The computer-readablemedium of claim 19, wherein the time period is at least a portion of thetime between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am.